In Darkness We Rise
by anonymous1222
Summary: Three years after the events in Tokyo Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg leave Jump City to establish new Titan Teams, but when a new threat comes to Jump City, forcing their return, the Titans must team up to overcome their most dangerous enemy yet. In their darkest hour and on the brink of destruction, the Titans will have to strike a balance between what is right and what is necessary
1. Chapter 1

5 Years Ago

It was a gruesome scene. The police had arrived at the New Jersey house shortly after 9 o'clock one cold December night to follow up on a call from the neighbors concerning a suspicious character leaving the residence. What they found was beyond anything they had ever seen.

One man, one woman, and one teenaged girl from across town had been discovered at the dining room table with their throats slit and their hands on the table palms up. Their eyes had been gouged out and placed in their left hand and their tongues cut out and placed in the right. And on the table, drawn in their blood, were the remnants of some ritualistic symbol. It had been partially smeared away by the time they had arrived, but the police could still make out the outline of the pentagram and a few of the runes in each of the points; but what it was or what it was for was far beyond the scope of their expertise.

Most curious was the man and woman's son. The police found him alone, huddled in a corner of the kitchen, eyes wide with terror, body frozen the scene that had unfolded around him. He was just a teenager having his best friend over to his house for dinner with his family, and as far as the police could tell they were all normal and nothing had been stolen. They had no ties to any crime syndicate to speak of, no history of crime, not even a second-degree connection to anyone connected to any crime of worth.

But the boy, why had he been left alive and unharmed without a drop of blood on him? At first the police were worried that he may have been the perpetrator of this crime, but it didn't add up. How could a thirteen-year-old boy do this? How could it be possible? All evidence pointed to the victims having been killed where they sat with no sign of struggle, almost as if they had done it to themselves.

With a long list of questions that needed answering, they walked the boy out of his house with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and led him to a car that would take him to the station.

As the police and the ambulances let the scene, and as the small crowd of locals dispersed, the boy looked out the window at the house as it disappeared on the horizon. It had begun to snow.

Present Day (3 Years after the Events In Tokyo)

Chapter 1:

It was a warm April day in Jump City and the Titans had convened in the living room of Titan tower. "Are you sure about this?" Robin, in uniform, asked, "It won't be the same without you guys."

"Don't worry, man, I'll be back before you know it," Cyborg smiled, "But this is one mega systems upgrade, and I don't have the tools I need to get the job done here. I'll have to stick around Titans East headquarters for the time being, but when I'm back I will be better then ever…booyah!" Cyborg's enthusiasm eased some of the tension the Titans had been feeling at the separation.

"And you as well," Starfire said to Beast Boy and Raven whilst Robin shook hands and exchange a few more pleasantries with Cyborg. She hovered over to the two and pulled them both in tight with one big hug, "We will miss you so much."

Beast Boy was quick to show the pained expression on his face as Starfire's amazing strength made it hard to breathe, but Raven, ever the stoic, help a calm demeanor, despite internally screaming for air, "Thanks, Starfire," she gasped out and her teammate released them.

Robin stepped forward and held out a hand for Beast Boy, "You'll do great establishing a Titan's branch in Europe." He shook Beast Boy's hand and offered the same gesture to Raven, "Have you settled on a location for the new base?" His hand lingered for a moment before the two separated.

"Oh yeah. London, baby," Beast Boy exclaimed, and Raven let out a small chuckle. It was a rare sight to see, but Beast Boy's antics had been the only thing that consistently made Raven laugh when pain wasn't involved.

"Well just remember, all of you," Robin cracked his normally serious expression and adopted a heartfelt smile as the reality of his friends', his family's departure was underway, "If you ever need help, we're just a call away."

"And do not be afraid to visit. I will be sure to always have Glorrk prepped for your arrival." The four other Titans did their best to hide their fear of Starfire's Tamaranean cuisine, with only Raven fully accomplishing the task, but the alien girl hardly noticed their reactions.

And with a few unspoken gestures of good will, Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg left Titan Tower, leaving Robin and Starfire alone.

Neither spoke for a few minutes. Robin took a seat on the couch and turned on the TV, and Starfire watched the skies, hoping to catch one last glimpse of her friends, but had no luck, so she joined Robin on the couch. Worried about her friends and what the near future held, she moved closer to Robin, "Do you think everything will be all right?"

Robin, who hadn't been paying attention to the television, was wondering the same thing, "I don't know," he hung his arm over Starfire's shoulder and pulled her in closer. He justified the action by focusing on Starfire's uncertainty about the change, but he knew that he was just as worried. He was just too stubborn to be as open about it, "But we're not exactly kids anymore. We have to learn to handle things on our own so that we can do more good for this world."

Starfire, comfortably nestled into Robin's shoulder, pushed away and looked at him with worry in her eyes, "But Robin, does that mean that we will one day have to be apart?"

Robin looked in her eyes and assured her, "No," he cradled her cheek in his hand and marveled at her beauty. How odd it was to think that this girl, an alien who had landed in his city on the day he arrived, would be there with him years later, through thick and thin, "We have each other. And so long as we have each other, we can do anything," he pulled Starfire in for a kiss and she collapsed onto him as he lay down on the couch.

But their moment of solitude was to be short lived as a thundering crash shattered one of the large windows to the living room, and in swung a man in a woman, dressed in matching blue suits and top hats, "As I said, milady," he announced as he twirled a cane in his fingers, "the Titans have left."

"And you were right, my good sir," the woman stood beside the man and tapped the ground thrice with her cane. Both of them were completely oblivious to the two current, very frustrated occupants of the room, "But let us hurry, before they—"

"Return?" Robin interrupted as he and Starfire stood, arms crossed, angry scowls on their faces, and the Man and Woman's faces were instantly drained of all color.

"I..I..I…" the man stammered.

"Thought we had left?" Robin finished for him, "Yeah. Tough luck. We're here to stay." The intruders were glued to the spot. They thought they could come in and take the tower before anyone else laid claim to it. Their intel had told them that all of the titans were leaving Jump City. "Here's how it's going to go. You're going to get on your knees and surrender, and we'll drop you off at the prison. Or," Robin cracked his knuckles with a devilish grin as Starfire's eyes glowed green, "you can fight, Starfire and I will beat you, and then we'll drop you off at prison. What do you say?"

The pair of dapper intruders looked at each other for a moment and without speaking a word got on their knees and put their hands behind their heads. "You see?" Robin shot a smile back at Starfire, "We got this."

* * *

Unbeknownst to the Titans, something was coming to the city. Something seemingly unremarkable that would shake the very foundation of what they stood for and threaten everything they held dear.

A bus pulled into the station at Jump City and the passengers quickly exited the vehicle. Among them was a young man: dirty blond hair, tall, built like a cross country runner, with naught but the clothes on his back and a few meager possessions held within his backpack. "Hmm," he uttered as he put on a pair of sunglasses and looked at the massive Titans Tower in the distance. Without another thought toward the structure he followed the crowd into the heart of the city.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Months passed without issue. Beast Boy and Raven, with the help of Kid Flash, had established a base of operations in the heart of London. They had taken in the orphaned meta-humans Spark and Zip, with the respective powers of electricity and teleportation, and managed to prevent a terrorist cell of genetically altered humans from taking control of the city. Cyborg, still confined to Titans East as he tinkered on his body, had done well in training new members as they handled conflicts in the Eastern United States. With the continued success of the Titans, Cyborg saw little point in rushing the process, and as a result was continually finding ways in which he could improve his functionality.

Meanwhile, Starfire and Robin held as strong a position over Jump City as ever. Under their protection crime was at an all time low, despite their smaller number, and as Spring turned to Summer and Summer turned to Fall, it seemed that the criminals were slowly starting to get the picture; that even without Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg at the tower, the city was protected.

While Starfire took this as a sign of peace—that they were moving toward a time when they may finally be able to relax and enjoy a moment of rest, Robin was growing increasingly worried. They had never gone so long without a serious threat making a move. Slade, Hive, the Brotherhood of Evil; none of them, not even a similar group, had shown a sign of activity in months, if not years. Many within the Titans believed that they were either out of commission or so diminished in power that they could no longer pose a threat or inspire other like-minded groups, but Robin had only become more vigilant as the days grew quieter with each passing arrest. With all of these powerful groups and individuals involved in his past, he couldn't shake the feeling that some problematic remnants remained, and he feared that they would make there move any day now.

"Do not worry yourself, Robin," Starfire approached the boy wonder, who had his eyes glued to the console of the computer as he scanned the city for any incident, any sign of a major player making their move, "It is getting late. Why not come to bed." She reached out to touch his shoulder, but before she could complete the gesture, he spoke up.

"Not now, Starfire," he said in an impatient tone, and she pulled her hand away, "Someone could attack at any moment, and I have to be ready."

Starfire walked around to his side and looked at him. He was in full uniform, mask and all, but the closer she got the more she could see the effects that the last few months had on the boy wonder. They had done a great job in protecting the city without the aid of the rest of their team, but it had only been possible due to Robin's determination. But that same determination, she feared, was driving him down a dangerous road of self destruction, "Robin, please get some sleep," she turned his chair toward her, forcing his eyes away from the screen. An act that he was none-too-pleased about, "You cannot keep doing this. If you do not sleep—"

"No. I can't," he turned back to the computer screen and started typing away at the keyboard and started muttering to himself, "He doesn't sleep. He doesn't need sleep."

"He?" Starfire tilted her head and asked, "You mean Batman?" Starfire had never questioned why Robin had left Gotham and his mentor. All that Starfire had known was that Robin had great respect for the man, but at the same time had an almost dangerous obsession with proving himself a strong enough entity without the Dark Night's guidance.

Robin stopped typing. He bowed his head and sighed, "I'm sorry." He pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to stave off sleep, "But if I don't do this, someone might make a move and I might not be there to stop them."

"And if you do not sleep," Starfire got on her knees and took his hands in her own. She looked up at him with a warm, concerned look, "One day I fear you will make a mistake, and we will then be in even more trouble."

Robin didn't speak for a moment, and Starfire waited for a response. Then, he stood up, and she followed suit, "Okay," he forced a small smile onto his face, despite the inner conflict he was handling, "Let's go," and they walked together to his room. They got into bed and in no time at all, Robin was fast asleep. A wide smile grew on Starfire's face as she heard her boyfriend's breathing slow, and she too fell asleep.

* * *

Gizmo, Mammoth, and Doctor Light sat impatiently in the dark basement of the warehouse. "Oh come on, she's two hours late," Gizmo complained. He jumped down from his chair and marched up to Doctor Light, "You told us she was the answer to our problem, if she doesn't show—"

"She will come," the Doctor, arms crossed, defiantly stated, "I have searched far and wide for an answer to our problems and trust me, she is exactly what we need. She has a history, so to speak, with the Titans, and with her at our side there will be nothing those pathetic heroes can do to stop us." He allowed himself a proud smirk, "And with Raven gone—" he continued, but Mammoth jumped in.

"What, does that mean you won't cry yourself to prison like last time?" he and Gizmo snickered as Doctor Light grinded his teeth in quiet frustration. Of all the Titans, Doctor Light was certain, accurate or not, that he could handle any of them. Any of them, except for Raven, that is. The terror, the demon, the thing of his nightmares, she was the thing he dreaded the most whenever the Titans got in his way, but now that she had left the city, he felt there was nothing that could stop him. Still, he did not want to risk her return, and so he knew he needed to call for some help should the Dark Titan return at the most inopportune of moments.

"I'm going to warn you," a woman's voice came from the dark stairwell, "if you start crying on me, I might just fly you to Raven myself," the mysterious woman stepped into the light, revealing an attractive young woman, clad in purple armor who, were it not for the dark hair and more authoritative voice, the three villains could easily have confused for Starfire.

"Blackfire," Doctor Light said in a disgruntled tone, none-too-pleased by her being over an our late, "How nice of you to join us."

"Oh I am so sorry for the delay," her voice was oozing with sarcasm, "But I ran across the most adorable couple on my way into the city." A vicious grin spread across her face, "It's amazing how jealous a girlfriend can get," Gizmo and Mammoth let out an uncomfortable groan, but Doctor Light, wanting to get things rolling, stood up.

"Well I am glad you had fun," he scowled, "But we have work to do." He opened up to the group and spoke, "For years we have sought to take a piece of this city as our own, and with every attempt we came so close, only to be foiled by the meddling Teen Titans," he smirked, clearly proud at being the center of this new ring, but Blackfire, whose interests tended to exist beyond Earth, let out a bored sigh, "But now that three of the five Titans have left the city, it is at its most vulnerable. Our comrades and competitors have fought and failed over the past few months because they refused to band together to take what was ripe for the taking. But we were not so foolish, no."

Blackfire shot a bored look at Gizmo and Mammoth, who both shook their heads with a defeated look, confirming her suspicion that Doctor Light truly got off on hearing the sound of his own voice.

"And now. Now that the Titans are but the Boy Wonder and the Alien, we are finally in a position where—"

"Yeah yeah," Blackfire, fed up with the talking interrupted and stepped forward, "We outnumber them, they have no backup, yadayadayada, we get it," she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "Here's the deal, I don't give a crap about this city. You want it, you can have it. But when we finally take on Robin and Starfire, you leave my sister to me. I have a little payback for the bitch."

Gizmo and Doctor Light nodded in understanding, happy that Blackfire would handle Starfire, leaving the three of them to take on Robin, but Mammoth had a confused look on his face, "Wait. Sister? Starfire's your sister?"

The other three, having caught on at this point, looked at him with dumbstruck looks, their shock only broken up by Doctor Light's desire to move things forward, "Anyway. So it is settled. The four of us will lure the Titans out of their Tower in one week's time. We will take them out and take Jump City by force."

The other three villains smiled in anticipation of the night, but from the shadows came an unexpected voice.

"Now, doesn't that sound like fun?" knowing that only four people were to be present, Blackfire shot a blackbolt toward the voice, only to have it swiped away, causing it to explode against the wall to the left. "Don't worry, I'm not here to cause trouble. Not for you anyway."

As the mysterious figure walked forward it was as if he had stepped out of an abyss that had been absorbing all light. With dirty blond hair and dressed in jeans and a red sweatshirt, he should have been easy to spot even in the dim lighting of the basement, but he had somehow remained unseen until now. "You see, I too would like to see the Titans removed from this city," he reached up and pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose, "So what do you say?" he readjusted the strap of his backpack and grinned, "Have room for one more?"

Gizmo, Mammoth, and Doctor Light had no issue with the extra set of hands, and although Blackfire also agreed to accept his offer of participation, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with this guy. Even by the standards of present company, something about him just wasn't normal. Was he a meta, or perhaps an alien? Blackfire couldn't put her finger on it, but she would keep an eye on him for the time being.

* * *

The following night, Starfire had taken it upon herself to monitor Jump City alone, practically forcing Robin to confine himself to the tower for the night so that he could rest. He had initially refused, still convinced that any day now something big was going to go down, and the two had argued for nearly half an hour before Robin finally gave in when Starfire brought up a point he could not refute, "How can I trust that you will be safe on your own when you cannot give me that same level of trust?" He had never doubted her abilities, but he still feared for her nonetheless, and if someone like Slade were to show up, he wanted to be there. As leader it was his job to always have his teammates' backs, but she was right. Without having a full team for the near future, he had to get used to the idea of his one remaining teammate going out alone, and he had to trust that she could handle the night on her own, so he stayed behind.

But staying in the tower while Starfire was out putting her life on the line made him uncomfortable and restless. He had always pushed himself to fight, to keep going so that he could keep up with his teammates, the vast majority of whom had super powers of some sort that gave them a natural edge. He knew that to stay at their level he had to train twice as hard, and not going with Starfire felt lazy and irresponsible, but he knew that going might give Starfire the impression that he didn't think she could do this on her own, so for the sake of the Team, he would deal with his discomfort in private.

Starfire, meanwhile, hadn't a thought of doubt in her mind as she apprehended a duo of small time robbers trying to break into a jewelry store. She had caught them trying to pick the lock to the store and after some initial resistance, flew the two of them by their collars to the police.

A job well done, she continued to survey the town for any wrongdoing when a sharp whistle caught her attention. "Hello?" she called out, "Who is there?" the whistling got louder and she turned in each direction trying to pinpoint the source of the sound when she felt something small and purple graze her cheek, leaving a shallow cut. Wide-eyed at the close call, she reached up and touched the thin cut.

"Glad to see I got your attention," Starfire, recognizing the voice, swung around and saw her older sister hovering a few feet above, "Hello, Starfire," she smiled devilishly with a look of sadistic malice in her eyes as her hand started to glow, "I may be a bit ahead of schedule, but I just couldn't wait to say hello to my baby sister." Her smile widened as she launched toward Starfire.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Robin awoke at the crack of dawn, finding himself alone in bed. Thinking it odd, as it was rare for Starfire to start her day before he did, he hopped out of bed, got dressed, and walked into the living room, half-expecting to see her cooking up some strange Tameranian breakfast, but alas she was nowhere in sight. Externally calm despite his mind rushing to every possible tragedy that could have befallen his partner during her night on patrol, Robin walked over to the main console and booted up the computer. If Starfire were in the Tower, it would be much quicker to simply check the entry logs on the computer than it would be to check every room she could possibly be in. He may not know where exactly she was without reviewing all of the security tapes, but he could at least eliminate the possibility that she had not returned.

After a few minutes of typing away at the keyboard he had the logs up, and a quick scan showed that Starfire had indeed entered the Tower a little over an hour ago. He hit a button on the console to open up the com-link, "Starfire, come in." he waited for a response. Nothing. He pushed the button and tried again, "Starfire, you there?" When he once again heard nothing he closed the logs and the link and went about searching. She wasn't in the living room or his room, and a quick check determined she wasn't in the nearest bathroom, so he moved to the next most logical location: her old bedroom. She hadn't slept there since the other Titans moved out, but if she came in late and didn't want to wake him up, he figured she may have spent the night there.

He knocked twice on the door, "Starfire, you in there?" when he didn't get a response he hit the pad next to the door, causing it to open, and his chest felt a surge of relief when he saw the redhead lying on the bed beneath a blanket with her back to the door. "There you are," he smiled as he approached. He put a hand on her shoulder and tried to turn her over so that he could wake her up, "Come on, you had a long night. Let's get you something to—" he gasped and stepped back as he turned her over, revealing consequence of the night before.

"Robin…" she moaned as she opened her right eye—her left eye being far too swollen to allow it to open as well. She reached out to him with a shaken arm and the blanket fell from her torso, revealing a body covered in bruises and blood.

"Oh no," Robin said under his breath, "Starfire!" he ran forward and gently tried to get her to lie back down. A subtle sound, almost too quiet for even his keen senses to notice, caught his attention. He wheeled around, instinctively reaching for his utility belt, only to feel his the empty waistline of his pants. And who did he see, but the most unwelcome of guests, "You," he snarled and narrowed his eyes at the intruder.

"Yes, yes, me," Blackfire leaned against the door and smiled, "How's it going, Robin? I hear you and my sister are quite the item now," Robin grinded his teeth and clenched his fists, "Too bad. It looks like you settled for the wrong Tameranian…but, if you'd like, maybe I could—"

Before she could finish, Robin screamed and charged forward. He threw a punch hard as he could at Blackfire's face, but she ducked and punched him in the stomach, knocking him halfway across the room.

"Now now, is that the way to treat your girlfriend's sister?" she smirked, "So ungentlemanly."

Robin pushed himself to his feet as he fought to bring air back into his lungs. Robin wanted to strike again, but given Starfire's state, he couldn't risk it. If things got out of hand and he couldn't take the fight elsewhere, she might get hurt. Besides, without his weapons and given the rather unideal setting, he was at a severe disadvantage against the Tameranian, "What do you want?"

"Want? Me?" Blackfire donned a faked look of ignorance then let out a small laugh, "Oh Robin," she put her hands on her hips and stood tall, "You know what I want." Robin knew. Blackfire clearly wanted revenge on her sister, but he had no idea to what lengths she would go to see Starfire suffer. Out of the corner of his eye he glanced at the younger sister. If this was how the elder sister thought of saying hello, he shuddered to think of what else she had in mind. "I have big plans for little sis over there, but you see, until my friends arrive I don't exactly have the means to deliver unto her the punishment she deserves so…" she held her hand up and poised to fire a bolt of energy, "I'll see you around." Robin dared not make a move, and until she had rounded the corner, Blackfire did not lower her guard. It wasn't until he was sure the intruder was gone that Robin once again ran to Starfire's side.

"It'll be okay," he told her. Upon closer inspection he could see the severity of her wounds. As tough as she was, both as a fighter and as a Tameranian, her sister had done quite a bit of damage. She would heal, but she had to rest. He pulled the blanket up and over her torso. He briefly considered holding her and kissing her to cement the fact that he was there for her, but decided against it. It just didn't feel right to him. His emotions a chaotic mix of fear, anger, and worry, he left the room to collect supplies to tend to her wounds.

* * *

Blackfire, filled with smug satisfaction, found herself wandering Jump City dressed in more typical Earth attire consisting of a short black skirt and a crop top. A few hours had passed since she had left Titans Tower, and now, feeling hungry and like she was on top of the top of the world, she wanted to find somewhere to eat. She walked into the heart of the city and settled upon the local pizza joint when she saw a familiar face in the distance: the blond guy from the warehouse.

Food could wait. She wanted answers. Who was this guy, what were his motives, how had he known about their meeting, and how had he snuck in unnoticed? She cut through the crowd and quickened her pace and, upon catching up with him, threw her arm over his shoulder, "Hey," she smiled, but there was a mean streak behind her eyes, "We need to talk." Without giving him a moment to react, she pulled him into the alley and led him to the end, away from the prying eyes of pedestrians. Odd, she thought. She would have figured he could put up more of a fight. He could feel him resisting, but it was nothing compared to the kind of strength she was expecting. It was practically human.

She opened her mouth, ready to lay down her questions and demand answers, but before she could utter a single syllable, he spoke up, "Hey, what's the big idea? Who the hell are you?" He had been so caught off-guard by this woman pulling him aside that he couldn't find the words until now.

"What?" the vein on her forehead was throbbing. Did this idiot not remember their introduction? Or was it the wrong person? No, it couldn't be. The same dirty blond hair, same height, same stupid sunglasses and backpack. "Haha, real freakin' funny," she shoved him against the wall and pinned him there by his shoulders, "You were the one who crashed out little party the other night, so I'll be asking the questions. How did you know where we were meeting? Why were you…" she trailed off. He was shaking. Was he scared? Impossible. The guy had previously blocked one of her bolts like it was nothing. He'd stood before four dangerous individuals without a hint of fear. She lowered her tone and shifted her expression from one of anger to one of genuine inquisitiveness, "Who are you?"

"Aaron Taylor," he said as he tried to shove her off, but she was far too strong, and he quickly gave up, realizing how futile it would be. He glared at her, doing his best to hide his fear, but his trembling hands did more than enough to betray that façade, "And you?"

Blackfire paused for a moment before releasing him, "That is none of your concern."

Confused, frustrated, and hungry, Blackfire marched herself out of the alley. She already had her doubts about teaming up with the guy, but this was beginning to push her limits. Did he have a twin? A split personality? Or was he just that good at playing her for a fool? She could have tortured him for information, but if her suspicions were right and there was far more beneath the surface than he was letting on, she didn't want to do anything just yet. She had to at least clear up some of these doubts before making a move.

* * *

Robin, masked and fully equipped should Blackfire return, sat in front of the main console with Cyborg on one half of the screen and Beast Boy and Raven on the other. Once he had taken care of Starfire's injuries, he had called them up and given them what little details he had concerning the events of that morning, "So," he said, "Think you can spare a few days to help out around here? Something about this stinks." Blackfire had something planned, and that was never a good thing. And what's more, if they had to deal with her friends, whatever that meant, it spelled nothing but trouble for Starfire, if not all of Jump City.

"I wish I could, man," Cyborg shook his head with a heavy look on the human part of his face, "but until I finish this upgrade my weapons won't be functional. I'll just be dead weight," Cyborg had been helping out at Titans East all he could, but Robin could see the complex array of wires and tubes connecting Cyborg to the system at the back of the room. He silently wondered how long his teammate had to stay seated there every day.

"And things aren't much better here," Raven said, "Mad Mod's found himself a crew that have been giving us a bit of trouble these past few days. Until we handle him, we really can't do much to help."

Beast Boy rubbed his eyes, clearly doing his best not to fall asleep at another meeting. He and Raven looked even more sleep deprived than Robin. Between dealing with Mad Mod and training the new recruits, Robin couldn't blame them. He remembered how hard it was when they were first setting up in Jump City. Starfire's ignorance of Earth customs alone had been tiring enough to deal with, even without the added difficulty of showing the city that this group of vigilantes could be trusted.

"I'll tell you what," Cyborg said as he started typing something out on his computer, "you do what you can to help out Starfire. I'll get in touch with some of the other Titans to see if anyone can help you, deal?"

"Thank you," Robin said, "Keep up the good work team," Robin smiled and once each of them had logged out, he collapsed in his chair, "Oh this is just great," he buried his face in his hands and groaned.

The doors to the living room slid open, "Robin, is everything all right?"

He turned around in his chair to see Starfire walking toward him. She was limping, and she had her arm wrapped round her side. He had bandaged her up as well as he could, but even with her resilience Robin knew she had to take it easy if she was going to get better any time soon, "Woah, Starfire," Robin shot up and moved over to her, giving her a shoulder to put her weight on as he led her over to the couch. He sat her down as carefully as he could, "I saw Blackfire. What happened? Do you know why…." He stopped. The mission was important, but he had a feeling this was one of those moments where it could wait. Raven had once warned him that this sort of moment might call for a suspension of such thoughts, "Are you okay? Do you need anything?" He brain was burning with the desire to ask her for every bit of intel she had regarding her sister, but he bit his tongue in that regard. He'd been chewed out enough as it was for not acting enough like a boyfriend; maybe this once he'd actually heed his teammates' advice in such matters.

"Do not worry, I am all right," she said, but he could see the subtle wincing in her face and the slight twitching in her body with every movement. Blackfire had done a number on her. How much stronger had the older sister gotten? The last time they fought it had been close, but Starfire had managed to come out on top, but now it seemed that the tables had turned. If that were the case, they had quite an opponent to take down. And what about those "friends" she spoke of. What sort of trouble would they bring?

He felt a strange sensation at the thought. A feeling that Batman had warned him against, and that Slade had once tried to have him embrace. That feeling of excitement where he desired to fight a strong opponent for the sake of a thrill; where justice took a backseat to animalistic desire. He closed his eyes and suppressed the thought. He couldn't worry about that now. He took a seat beside Starfire and gently put his arm around her. He would hunt down Blackfire when the time was right, and Starfire would be right there with him.

* * *

Blackfire had tried to figure out what the hell was going on all day, and she wanted answers. If this Aaron guy was feigning ignorance, worst-case scenario was that he would try and turn the others against her. Blackfire was sure she could take the others easy, but apart from his stealth and a single block she had no idea what sort of power this Aaron guy had. Normally she'd take it as a challenge, but not this time. She had underestimated Starfire and her team enough in the past, so she knew that as long as they were players in this game she couldn't take such risks. She returned to the warehouse that night intending to bring up her concerns with Doctor Light, Gizmo, and Mammoth, but when she got there she stumbled upon a very unexpected sight.

The three of them had already gathered and were staring at something in the center of the room. "Okay idiots," she sighed as she pushed Doctor Light aside so as to get a look at what they were gawking at, "What are you….what the hell?" In the middle of the room, Aaron sat cross-legged hovering three feet in the air, surrounded by a faint black aura. He was meditating.

Blackfire was as dumbstuck as her partners, but she quickly snapped out of it and stepped forward. She waved her hand in front off Aaron. Nothing. Not a twitch. He didn't even look to be breathing. She stared at a moment and reached for his glasses, but a sharp jolt of black energy forced her to pull her hand away, "Hey, what's the big idea?" she snarled, but the young man did not stir.

Gizmo was the first to speak after that, "So, uh, Blackfire. We've been talking and, well," he rubbed the back of his head nervously, "We think we need to discuss our partnership with…this guy." He was sweating. They all were. Blackfire was unsure about Aaron, sure, but the others seemed on the verge of pissing their pants, "Something about him is…..off….."

"You think?" she snapped sarcastically as she turned around, her anger causing the three male villains to take a step back. Her eyes glowed purple with fury. "This guy is up to something. I ran into him in the city today, and he didn't even recognize me," she only said it in his presence to see if it would even elicit a reaction, "It was like a completely different person." The glow disappeared from her eyes, "I'm telling you, we better ditch him before he finds a way to royally screw us over."

"Oh, that will not be necessary," the young man spoke up, and the four villains abruptly turned. Slowly he righted himself and lowered himself so that he was standing on solid ground. His voice a deep undertone to it, giving his words a slightly distorted sound, "I have no intention of being a hindrance to your plans." He smiled and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Blackfire wondered why he kept doing that, and why he was even wearing sunglasses inside in the first place.

"Oh yeah? And we're just supposed to believe you?" Blackfire squared off defiantly. The other three at her back looked at each other nervously, but finding confidence in her courage, they fell in line behind her, "Just who the hell are you?"

The young man smiled, "I believe you've already asked that of me. But then again, I suppose I wasn't in control at the time, so perhaps a more in depth introduction is in order." The black aura that surrounded him grew thicker.

Blackfire prepped her blackbolts in each hand and her eyes glowed a fierce purple. She was growing tired of his crap, "That's it, you better start answering some questions." The villains at her back also took their stances, ready to fight if need be, but the young man didn't budge.

"Very well," he pulled off his sunglasses, but kept eyes were closed, "I see no reason to hide such information," Blackfire only grew angrier at the comment. How cocky could this guy be? "I guess I could say that I have many names, but let's be honest," he chuckled and shoved his hands in his pockets, "that would be so clichéd at this point." His lack of reaction to the fact that he had three villains poised to attack only made the crowd that much angrier, "I guess the simplest way I could put it would be to say that I am a demon. Well, in this form I suppose it would be more accurate to say that I am a half demon. And in your tongues, I would be called," he opened his eyes, revealing eyes of pure white that gave off a smoke-like aura of black energy, "Chaos."


End file.
